Past Experience With Peter Smith Sports Cars

[john.k]

Hi guys and girls, newbie here, just wanted to pick your brains about Peter Smiths, i'm looking to buy a new elise either this year or early next (depending on what sort of deposit i can get together!!!) and wanted to know if any of you have been impressed or not with Peter Smiths. Its the closest dealer to me as i live in Derby but would be willing to travel if it meant better customer service on peoples recommendations.

 

I've checked out your posts over the past couple of weeks doing a bit of research and all I can gather is that its rather expensive for services, any information would be greatly received.

[dobbo]

You'll get mixed reviews of any dealer from any bunch of people. Here's my 2p.

 

 

I've always found them OK. The previous service manager was sacked, any now stuff is better.

 

Hourly prices are set by Lotus, so that should be the same across the country (or possibly more in the affluent home counties).

 

Parts vary from outrageous to OK. eg - alternator for Sonya's car was nearly £500, but we HAD to have the car done that day, I was away with work and we weren't getting it done any other way in the timescales we needed. She also got their courtesy car which, at the time, was worth a premium.

 

Other stuff has been sensibly priced.

 

Their bodyshop put my first car back together better than it was before. Bodyshop prices are far more reasonable than servicing. Some colours are hard to match and people that have had those colours have had issues there.

 

No idea how they compare for selling prices. I did hear a romour several years ago that Peter Smith himself was done for clocking cars a long long time ago. I guess that was in the days of taking fronts off dials and turning the numbers, rather than this digital age (when it's even easier according to some people). I reckon most car sellers have been accused of that at some time or another.

 

Having also experienced both JCT600 and whatever the Leicester one used to be called first hand, I'd use PS above those two any day of the week. I simply can't justify their hourly rate now for servicing.

[L7YSE]

Hello,

 

I bought my 111r from them two years ago. Did my homework on prices/options, but eventually spotted the colour I wanted without having to wait for delivery. Always a bummer, that is. Anyway, I can only really talk positively about them in terms of what they did:

 

- did the leg work to get it registered in time for my required pickup time (which was actually short notice)

- free 1000m service (admittedly, I got it wrong, but still bulled my way through the switch board & got it for free anyway - try to get them to agree to this at the point of sale!?)

- fixed all waranty issues without comment or issue.

- fully valeted my car at each service, looked lovely afterwards.

- I actually thought Peter was a really nice guy.

 

negatives: yes, you know it, they're expensive. My last service was quoted as ~£320 iirc. For a service!!!! I now use a indi garage (Phoneix) at £130. I think if they know Lotus, what can go wrong! Right? ;-0